A recent report clearly illustrates the energy improvements being made at ethanol biorefineries across country.
According to the report by John Christianson, CPA of the independent accounting firm Christianson & Associates, the average amount of energy as measured by British Thermal Units (BTUs) required to produce ethanol and a livestock feed co-product across all ethanol production technologies was reduced by 13.5 percent between 2004 and 2007.
The most efficient biorefineries demonstrated an even more dramatic reduction 19 percent reduction in BTU energy requirements, today using fewer than 21,000 BTUs per gallon of ethanol produced. In addition, electricity usage at ethanol biorefineries also declined. The Christianson report shows a 13% reduction in electricity consumption at the average ethanol facility.
The forum will provide an opportunity for Nebraska policymakers and consumers to better understand how ethanol policy plays a role in economic development, energy security, agriculture and the environment.
Algae has traditionally been a nuisance to catfish farmers, but it could end up being a new source of income for them and a new source of energy for the southeast.
Ron Putt, an associate research professor at Auburn University, has been studying the feasibility of using algae from catfish farms for biodiesel production. “Currently I have a small project that is going to demonstrate the ability to harvest algae from the catfish ponds in the western part of Alabama,” Putt says. “I see them as the core of the algae farming industry throughout the southeast. My goal is to turn the southeast conference into the new OPEC.”
Farmers on the panhandle of Florida can now make their own biodiesel on the farm with the help of the 
“We relied on the knowledge of one of our county commissioners who is an expert in biodiesel processes. We work with our farmers and show them how to get into biodiesel production for themselves,” Harper said. The washing machine-sized processor can produce 100 gallons of biodiesel in ten hours and can easily transported to a farm. 
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is reducing the fees his state slaps on people who collect some of the raw materials to make biodiesel for their own personal use.
These and other concerns prompted former veggie-oil driver Rob Del Bueno to begin brewing his own biodiesel, a product created by using methanol to chemically alter vegetable oil. Del Bueno soon learned that home-brewing fuel also was illegal, for a variety of reasons, and he went through the complex, and expensive, process of going legit.
Twelve feet of water can do a lot of damage… just ask the folks at GreenHunter Energy. Their biodiesel refinery in Houston had just opened this summer has been knocked out of commission when the eye of Hurricane Ike passed nearly directly over the facility.
Through the immediate and tireless efforts of our staff and management team, the refinery has been substantially cleaned of layers of mud, spilled materials, and debris from the flood. Repairs were commenced within one week of Hurricane Ike’s landfall strike. Major mechanical and operational components of the refinery remain intact. The receipt and installation of necessary electrical components from third parties is the primary reason for delay in restarting operations. It is anticipated that the U.S. Coast Guard will approve our barge docking facilities for resumption of operations, enabling the Company to begin moving products and feedstock early this week. The Company continues on target to meet the estimate of resumption of operations on or before October 31, 2008. 
The goal of the American Seed Research Summit was to bring together research leaders from industry, academia and government to identify major seed research challenges and to develop a national strategy and action plan to solve those challenges. 